If former Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) chairman Ma Ying-jeou (
But Ma argues an intriguing case: How can he be indicted for corruption for transferring public funds to his private account when so many senior politicians around him are seemingly far more deserving of prosecution on these and many other terms?
The point is interesting for two reasons. It shines a bright light on an entrenched culture of graft in the nation's bureaucracies, and it shows that Ma thinks there is such a thing as relative graft -- in his own case, he would argue, any "graft" should be blamed on the system and not his squeaky-clean self.
A lot of people are sympathetic to this point of view. Taiwan is a country, after all, that has become wealthy and free in a context of compromise and pragmatism. This nation's inglorious culture of administrative graft and perks is so familiar and inoffensive that even some pan-green-camp moderates will be privately scratching their heads at how Ma could end up being indicted when political parties are filled to the brim with people whose decades of wealth accumulation -- far greater than the paltry amount Ma is accused of embezzling -- would struggle to stand up to rigorous investigation.
The KMT itself, up until recently, was a wealth magnet in which those who knew how to play the game could make immense amounts of money. As party chairman, Ma was its protector, and while he protests his innocence on a personal level, it should be made clear that Ma did nothing to hold the party accountable to the nation for its decades of theft of public and private property.
Ma's public image is enhanced by rank stupidity from senior Democratic Progressive Party officials who ought to know better. Caucus whip Ker Chien-ming (
Ma's language also appears more moderate against the pitiful huffing and puffing of KMT hacks such as caucus whip Tseng Yung-chuan (
A more considered assessment of Tuesday's events comes from political scientist June Teufel Dreyer, who summed up Ma's response with the word "cunning."
Cunning, indeed. There is a strong case that Ma's tribulations will have hurt his presidential chances: Enemies in the KMT will try to make hay out of his misfortune, and moderate voters in both camps may now be experiencing second thoughts about the man international news agencies love to call "handsome." But Ma has pre-empted party enemies -- the terminally evasive Legislative Speaker Wang Jin-pyng (
The idea peddled by some wire agencies that Ma has suffered a "fatal blow" is utter nonsense. His eyes are now firmly and publicly on the presidency, and his first priority is to secure the KMT nomination. This is not a done deal, but if Tuesday's events have taught us anything, it is that Ma is now, finally, spoiling for a fight. The handsome effete has been blooded, and his pan-blue-camp supporters are still standing by his side: Let the presidential campaign begin.
There is much evidence that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is sending soldiers from the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) to support Russia’s invasion of Ukraine — and is learning lessons for a future war against Taiwan. Until now, the CCP has claimed that they have not sent PLA personnel to support Russian aggression. On 18 April, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelinskiy announced that the CCP is supplying war supplies such as gunpowder, artillery, and weapons subcomponents to Russia. When Zelinskiy announced on 9 April that the Ukrainian Army had captured two Chinese nationals fighting with Russians on the front line with details
On a quiet lane in Taipei’s central Daan District (大安), an otherwise unremarkable high-rise is marked by a police guard and a tawdry A4 printout from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs indicating an “embassy area.” Keen observers would see the emblem of the Holy See, one of Taiwan’s 12 so-called “diplomatic allies.” Unlike Taipei’s other embassies and quasi-consulates, no national flag flies there, nor is there a plaque indicating what country’s embassy this is. Visitors hoping to sign a condolence book for the late Pope Francis would instead have to visit the Italian Trade Office, adjacent to Taipei 101. The death of
By now, most of Taiwan has heard Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an’s (蔣萬安) threats to initiate a vote of no confidence against the Cabinet. His rationale is that the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP)-led government’s investigation into alleged signature forgery in the Chinese Nationalist Party’s (KMT) recall campaign constitutes “political persecution.” I sincerely hope he goes through with it. The opposition currently holds a majority in the Legislative Yuan, so the initiation of a no-confidence motion and its passage should be entirely within reach. If Chiang truly believes that the government is overreaching, abusing its power and targeting political opponents — then
The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT), joined by the Taiwan People’s Party (TPP), held a protest on Saturday on Ketagalan Boulevard in Taipei. They were essentially standing for the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), which is anxious about the mass recall campaign against KMT legislators. President William Lai (賴清德) said that if the opposition parties truly wanted to fight dictatorship, they should do so in Tiananmen Square — and at the very least, refrain from groveling to Chinese officials during their visits to China, alluding to meetings between KMT members and Chinese authorities. Now that China has been defined as a foreign hostile force,
RSS